Galgiani's dental bill OK'd

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By The Record

recordnet.com

By The Record

Posted Oct. 11, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By The Record

Posted Oct. 11, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill by state Sen. Cathleen Galgiani, D-Stockton, that will require portable dental units that offer services to children at schools to be available for follow-up work, keep patient records, and make those records available to patients and their parents.

Galgiani's Senate Bill 562 addresses a recent trend of portable dental offices setting up in schools that she said was brought to her attention by the California Dental Association. Typically the units visit schools with large populations of low-income students, some of whom may not be receiving dental care.

In a written statement, Galgiani said that in some cases, children have reportedly received dental services at schools and only later, during a visit to their regular dentist, have their parents and their regular dentist become aware of it.

Galgiani said her new law will ensure proper consumer protections for patients.

Previous California law had placed such regulations on mobile dental units operating in vans, but not on portable units that operate by temporarily setting up dental equipment in schools.